A graduating student from the Faculty of Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) was awarded the 2021 Freezailah Forest Sustainability Award from the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) for her academic excellence and final year project thesis last year.
Hiew Suet Enn, who graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Forest Plantation and Agroforestry, received RM2,000 cash and a certificate of achievement from MTCC for her study titled “Detection Rate and Activity Pattern of Tembadau (Bos javanicus lowi) in Salt Lick and Non Salt Lick Areas at Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve, Sandakan, Sabah”.
Tembadau is a type of wild cattle which is endemic to the Borneo Island especially in Sabah. The study was done at the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve Forest Management Unit (FMU), managed by KTS Plantation Sdn. Bhd. (KTSP),which has been awarded certification for sustainable forest management under the national voluntary forest management certification scheme, Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS). The study, funded under the KTSP-UMS collaboration grant, was aimed at providing baseline information that can contribute to tebadau’s conservation plans in the state and help KTSP to continue meet the requirements of the MTCS.
The award was presented by MTCC’s Board Member, Datuk Haji Zainie Abdul Aucasa at the award presentation ceremony held in conjunction with UMS’ 23rd convocation on 26 June. Zainie is also the President of Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society. Present to witness the occasion were UMS Pro-Chancellor, Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Deputy Pro-Chancellor, Datuk ChM Ts Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin, Dean of Science and Natural Resources Faculty, Professor Dr Jualang@Azlan Abdullah Gansau and Dean of Tropical Forestry, Associate Professor Dr Normah Awang Besar@Raffie.
Zainie said Hiew was chosen out of three award nominees and the judging was based on the overall academic achievement as well as final year projects relating to relevant fields such as sustainable forest management, forest certification, natural resources management, environmental impact assessment and timber and non-timber forest products utilisation, among others.
“Hiew’s study is of exceptional quality, and we hope that her baseline input can help Segaliud Lokan FMU to continue to comply with the relevant requirements as prescribed in the Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Forest Management (MC&I SFM) standard under the MTCS,” he said.
“We also hope that the award will inspire deserving students like Hiew to bring their fresh ideas, knowledge and skills in their career later on towards ensuring the sustainability of natural resources especially forests in Malaysia,” he added.
The Freezailah Forest Sustainability Award is a joint effort between MTCC and UMS’ Science and Natural Resources Faculty. It aims at inspiring a new generation of forestry talents to excel in their studies and inculcates greater passion and love for the forests and sustainability among tertiary students.
The academic award was established in 2016 to honour MTCC’s Founding Chairman, Dato’ Dr Freezailah Che Yeom who has contributed significantly to the growth of MTCC, and has been instrumental in the development of MTCS as an internationally recognised certification scheme as it is today.